Beer

I don’t know what the situation is for you guys, but I just received some vital intel from my cousin and it looks like my Girl Scout cookies will arrive by mid-February. Thank the snacked out heavens! And after coming across a list of recommended booze pairings for a variety of Girl Scout cookies on FirstWeFeast.com, I’m even more excited about receiving the goods next month. Thin mints and bourbon? Yes, please.

I’ve been planning on posting a Lushworthy guide to CounterPointfor a few weeks now, but I’ve basically procrastinated my way through those few weeks. Tsk tsk, I know. So, when a friend of a friend on Facebook commented on a post on CounterPoint with the following message: “I hope they have beer!” I knew I had to get my Lushworthy guide up ASAP. The people clearly need this. So, here you have it!

Heineken House!!! – Yes! I was hoping there would be some kind of booze-sponsored lounge at Counterpoint. And here you have it. The Heineken House is described as “a multi-sensory experience, featuring a Live Art Pyramid as the core…the pyramid features 12 massive live art walls to be hand-painted over the three days at Counterpoint this spring.” They’ll be plenty of ice cold brew on deck, but no word yet on if that brew will be complimentary.

Where’s The Booze?! – So, the folks at CounterPoint have created this handy little map to show you where all the stages, eateries, the Heineken House, and of course the bars, are. The places where you can buy drinks are represented by a green mug of beer. There’s a total of five bars in the main festival area. There’s also a bar at the campgrounds area.

BYOB Or Nah? – If you’ll soon have the pleasure of camping out at CounterPoint then yes, you do get to bring your own booze. Restrictions for the campgrounds are as follows:

You’re allowed to bring your own personal beer, wine and liquor into the campgrounds as long as it’s for personal consumption and within reason.

One case of beer, a box of wine, or one liter of liquor per person.

No glass bottles or containers! We’d hate to take your booze from you, but we will.

You must be 21 years of age or older with valid ID in order to consume alcohol.

I briefly tapped into my not so Lushworthy side last week while attending a media dinner at Ri Ra Irish Pub in Midtown Atlanta when I had absolutely no idea what a “Black Velvet” cocktail was. For the record, it’s a simple albeit surprising cocktail that’s made using champagne and Guinness extra stout. Interesting combination, right? I still have yet to get my hands on one so I’m curious to know if anyone’s ever had one of these bad boys and if so, what were your thoughts? Hit me up in the comments section!

Oh, and here’s a short video from the folks at the Guinness Storehouse on how to make a “Black Velvet” cocktail.

So umm, is it safe to say that beer festival season has officially begun? Why yes, yes it is, and it’s kicking off with a bang folks. For all my Atlanta-based brew fans, I’ve got yet another festival to tell you about. On Saturday, March 2nd, the Taste & Brews Festival will head to the Atlanta Food Truck Park & Market for five hours worth of beer tastings and edible samples from Yumbii, Sweet Auburn Barbecue, WOW, Happy Belly, and a bevy of other food trucks. The cool part about this festival is that they’ll be pairing specific types of beer with each food truck sample. Here’s a small look at the pairings you can expect:

Tickets to the Taste & Brews Festival are $45 in advance and $55 at the door. Oh, and I was able to secure a pretty nice discount of $15 for you guys if you use Lushworthy as the promo code. Be sure to purchase your ticket ASAP because that discount will go down to $10 on Wednesday and then $5 the week after! Head to Xorbia.com to purchase your ticket(s).

You gotta love a grown-up carnival, especially one that incorporates various beers. And you’ll find that Lushworthy combination at this week’s Winter Beer Carnivalat Atlantic Station. Taking place on Saturday, February 9th, Atlanta’s Winter Beer Carnival is the glorious event where over 150 brews and carnival games including the beloved Sweetwater Fish Launcher converge for four hours of brew-induced fun.

The beer list for the event continues to grow, but so far the list includes Batch 19, Brooklyn Lager, Guinness, Innis & Gunn, and O’Dempsey’s just to name a few. On top of an extensive list of beer, you’ll also be able to get your hands on samples of Frozen Pints (a personal favorite of mine). Food from various Atlanta-based restaurants will be available for purchase so they’ll be no fear of drinking on an empty stomach.

Tickets for the Winter Beer Carnival range in price from $40 to $60 and can be purchased at WinterBeerCarnival.com. Winter beer festivals seem to be a rarity here in Atlanta so you surely don’t want to miss this one.